


This Town Is Wasted And Alone (We Are Alive Here In Death Valley, But Don't Take Love Off The Table Yet)

by lexterminate



Series: Love Never Wanted Me, But I Took It Anyway [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Slayer Trash, The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, gratuitous trash, so much blood, so much sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 19:27:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3866989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lexterminate/pseuds/lexterminate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Murphy arrives in Sunnydale thinking it's a one-night stop on his way out of town, but expectations are often wrong, and things are never what they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Town Is Wasted And Alone (We Are Alive Here In Death Valley, But Don't Take Love Off The Table Yet)

_Sunnydale_. Shit name for a shit town. It was already dark out and Murphy knew he’d be here at least for the night, so he might as well look around. He walked down Main Street, looking to his left and right; hardware store, “magic box”, exactly one Starbucks,and he thought he could make out at least three different cemeteries from where he was standing. It was possible he might have passed another two on his way into town. That was definitely weird, but he shrugged it off continuing his self-guided tour through town. It all seemed pretty quiet, pretty normal,  _pretty boring_.

There’s kids in this town, right? He  _had_ seen a school. It was a Friday night, they had to be somewhere other than their homes. He hadn’t suddenly dropped into Pleasantville, so where was the cool hang-out spot?

It looked like there was a building up ahead with at least a little commotion. There it was. the _promised land_ , at least by Sunnydale standards. It probably sucked, but how bad could it really be, he wondered, his mind scrolling through the numerous possibilities of how lame this place was. _The Bronze;_  they couldn’t even go for the gold here.  _Pathetic_. He crossed his arms across his chest. It looked like they were letting anyone with a pulse through the door.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, he approached the so-called bouncer and smirked. They waved him through without another glance, didn’t even card him.  _What was this place?_ he blinked, eyes adjusting to the lights, even as dim as they were. Was the entire population of Sunnydale here? The din of the crowd was loud and the live band played something he wished he hadn’t heard. _God, that was terrible_. He’d need at least one drink, if not more, to dull his senses to whatever it was that they pretended was music.

He was mildly curious to see if the bartender would card him. Murphy did carry a fake ID in his wallet, along with his real ID. an emergency condom, both a debit and credit card with pretty dismal balances, and just enough cash to get him through the next few days.

“Beer, please,” he ordered, looking the man straight in the eye, voice very nearly deadpan. “Whatever’s cheapest.“ The guy squinted, sizing Murphy up, deciding if it was really worth it to card the kid. “ID?” He finally asked and Murphy showed him the fake. Richard Harmon. Age 23. From Sacramento, CA. The bartender squinted again and Murphy stared him down. Eventually he just shrugged, filling up the tall glass and handing it over as Murphy passed the few dollars he had over to pay.

Nodding his thanks, he turned back around and took a long drink. The booze burned his throat, but he didn’t wince. His eyes had locked onto a girl, all curves in tight leather. Her hips swayed with devilish intentions and her hair was loose, falling down over her bare shoulders in a white tank top, her black bra strap showing. Murphy had the obscene thought that she looked like she’d be up for anything.  _At least there’s one good thing in this town_. He was captivated by how she moved and the effortless way she seemed to attract all the men around her, and yet didn’t seem wholly interested in a single one of them. He had the realization that he was one of them, mesmerized by her, but he also knew that there was no chance in hell she’d ever look at him.

He drained the rest of his beer, leaving the empty glass by the bar as he decided that he’d seen enough of this shit town with it’s all access clubs and lame-ass bands. Before it got too late, he’d need to find somewhere to stay for the night and there wasn’t much he could afford, but there had to be a crap motel nearby.

***

A man was outside, cigarette hanging from his lips, bleached hair bright enough to be seen even in the pitch black night. He had on a full-length leather coat. _It wasn’t even cold out_. Murphy couldn’t just keep his mouth shut. Sneering, he asked, “You’re joking, right? That hair is ridiculous. What is this, like a Halloween in July thing?”

The stranger turned to face him. He was all long limbs and sharp cheekbones, which was to say not particularly menacing. Murphy thought that he could probably take him if this turned into a fight. He’d only just finished having that thought when the man’s fist hit his face without warning. _Okay, so he played dirty_.

Murphy shook off the punch, spitting blood from his mouth as he lifted his fists for the fight. He thought he saw the blonde’s lip twitch slightly and he threw his whole body into a right hook, which the guy caught in his hand as the other grabbed Murphy by the neck and blocked his airway before kneeing him square in the stomach, and the boy felt himself double over, coughing as the blonde man loosened his grip just enough for him to take in air. He tasted blood filling his mouth. The man still held him up by his throat and Murphy’s hazy brain tried to form a thought, but couldn’t. This guy was a lot stronger than he looked and he gave the now nearly unconscious boy one more punch to his face, letting him drop to the gravel in a pile.

He swung his leg out like he was going to end the fight with one last swift kick, but he stopped when Murphy instinctively cowered; his body curling up like a pencil shaving to protect itself. He leaned over and flicked Murphy’s ear. “Piece of advice. Next time, don’t pick a fight with a vampire, you sodding idiot,” the blonde said before walking off into the darkness, leaving Murphy lying in the fetal position by a dumpster. He continued to cough up blood as his vision went blurry and he shut his eyes. He was losing consciousness.  _Vampire?_

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr: http://johnmurfucked.tumblr.com
> 
> Slayer Trash is everything. This is part 1 of a series called "Love Never Wanted Me, But I Took It Anyway" and it is the definitive Slayer Trash story of how this ship came into being, and how Faith and Murphy are destined for one another.


End file.
